Balancing the checkbook this a.m.. So far, things don't look TOO terribly off track, despite several recent expenses (which, hopefully we can make up for later...)....

One of those little (unexpected) expenses involved having a crew take down a big tree in our backyard a few weeks ago, that was leaning very precariously toward our house, after it's roots snapped in high winds. Well, it was quite a stressful, drawn-out saga actually, and a long story (involving deposits, ice storms, fretting). But as of yesterday it's finally all been taken care of, when the crew returned to collect and haul away all the wood that was taken down. Now, the chapter of the falling tree is closed, happily (even though it left our pocketbooks $400 lighter, thankyouverymuch....).